Islamist Extremism |  | NYC City Council candidate Yusef Salaam attends the unveiling of the "Gate of the Exonerated" in Harlem on December 19, 2022 - Johnny Nunez/WireImage | NYC City Council Candidate Endorsed by Islamic Extremists Yusef Salaam is running for a New York City Council seat for Harlem and is promoting his endorsement from Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Wahhaj, who has controversial ties to terrorism and has made anti-government statements, served as a character witness for the "blind sheikh" convicted of plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S. Salaam’s Instagram also features an image of him embracing controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and another post of a man defecating on an American flag.
Salaam's ssociation with individuals tied to extremist views and actions has raised concerns about his suitability for public office. Read More Michigan ISIS Supporter Sentenced - Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 33, of Dearborn, Mich., was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on charges of providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.
- Musaibli moved to Yemen in April 2015. From Yemen, he traveled to Syria, where he attended an ISIS-run religious training camp before undergoing military training where he learned to shoot, carry, and handle a machine gun.
- Musaibli was eventually captured by Syrian Democratic Forces in 2018 and turned over to the FBI. Read More
| | | | | Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism |  | Proud Boys members scuffle with neo-Nazi group at Oregon protest - @hunnybadgermom Twitter via Dailymail.com screenshot | Proud Boys Clash With Neo-Nazis A clash occurred between the Proud Boys and a group of masked neo-Nazis during an anti-Pride protest in Oregon. The Proud Boys, known for their involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, confronted the neo-Nazis and pushed them away aggressively when they tried to join the protest. Videos showed the Proud Boys shouting profanities and beating the neo-Nazis with an American flagpole. Read More GDL Harasses Jews Outside Georgia Synagogue - Neo-Nazis waved swastika flags and protested outside a Chabad synagogue in Cobb County, Ga., leading to intense exchanges between Jewish worshippers and the neo-Nazis.
- The Goyim Defense League (GDL), a white nationalist hate group known for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, organized the demonstration.
- GDL leader Jon Minadeo Jr. was arrested during another protest in Macon, Ga., where he shouted obscenities and spread hate-filled messages. The group also distributed antisemitic literature in nearby communities. Read More
Neo-Nazis Protest in New Hampshire A neo-Nazi group identified as the Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131) protested outside a cafe in Concord, N.H., where a drag queen story hour was scheduled to take place. NSC-131 members were seen wearing black shirts, hats, and masks, and were captured on video chanting and making Nazi salutes. The New Hampshire attorney general's office is investigating the incident in collaboration with the Concord Police Department. Read More Colorado Shooter Pleads Guilty Anderson Lee Aldrich, the suspect in the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting, has pleaded guilty to 53 charges, including five for first-degree murder. The guilty plea also included 46 charges of attempted first-degree murder, and two bias-motivated crimes. Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns they and them, ran a neo-Nazi website and used gay and racial slurs while gaming online. Aldrich administered an obscure website called “freespeech2.ru,” which included what has been described as a “neo-Nazi white supremacist” shooting training video glorifying mass shootings. Read More Elderly Pro-Life Demonstrators Violently Assaulted Two elderly pro-life supporters were brutally assaulted near a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore, Md. The assailant, believed to be in his late 20s, attacked the victims following an argument over abortion rights. The assailant knocked one victim unconscious and repeatedly punched and stomped on another victim before leaving the scene. The assault, caught on surveillance video, is being investigated by the Baltimore City Police Department, but eyewitnesses, including Planned Parenthood escorts, have hindered the investigation by not identifying the assailant. Read More | | |  | Hate Crimes |  | Participants attend the Nashville Pride 2023 parade on June 24, 2023 in Nashville - Jason Kempin/Getty Images | Kansas Man Indicted for Threats to Pride Event A Kansas man has been indicted for making threats on Facebook targeting a Nashville Pride event. The suspect, Joshua Hensley, allegedly posted about making bombs and committing a mass shooting at the event. Hensley was arrested by the FBI and is facing charges of transmitting an interstate threat. Read More |  | | School Threats |  | Joshua Clark, via The Landmark screenshot | School Threat Suspect Under House Arrest Joshua Clark, charged with making a shooting threat at Platte County High School in Platte City, Miss., has been released on house arrest and GPS monitoring after posting 10 percent of his $100,000 bond. Clark is facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terrorist threat upon the high school. Read More Minnesota School Closed Due to Threat Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minn., closed due to a potential threat. According to an email sent by the school district, the school’s Threat Assessment Team and Savage Police Department followed up on the report immediately, and out of abundance of caution have decided to close the campus. Read More | | |  | Hostile Foreign Influence Operations |  | Zhu Yong runs after leaving Brooklyn Federal Court for a trial on "Operation Fox Hunt," America's first federal trial over China's alleged attempts to forcibly repatriate its citizens - YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images | Three Convicted of Stalking Chinese Nationals in US on Behalf Of China Three defendants have been convicted in New York for acting as illegal agents of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and engaging in interstate stalking as part of "Operation Fox Hunt." The defendants, including a retired NYPD sergeant, conducted surveillance and engaged in a campaign of harassment and coercion to force certain U.S. residents to return to China. The PRC government officials directed the defendants to intimidate, threaten, and surveil the victims and their families, using tactics such as leaving threatening notes and conducting surveillance. The defendants face significant prison sentences, and their convictions highlight the Chinese government's illegal behavior in the U.S. and its attempts to reach across borders for transnational repression. Read More New National Security Cyber Unit to Combat State-Sponsered Hacking - The U.S. Justice Department has established the National Security Cyber Section, called NatSec Cyber, to combat state-sponsored hackers from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
- The new unit aims to increase the department's ability to disrupt cyber campaigns, prosecute nation-state cybercriminals, and address cyber threats to national security.
- The creation of NatSec Cyber follows concerns over the growing threat posed by state-sponsored hackers and recent cyberattacks attributed to China, North Korea, and Russia. The unit will play a crucial role in responding to evolving cyber threats and protecting national security. Read More
| | |  | Research and Trends in Extremism |  | Migrants attempting to cross in to the U.S. from Mexico are detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, May 6, in San Luis, Ariz. - Nick Ut/Getty Images | Feds Catch Hundreds of Suspected Terrorists at Border U.S. Customs and Border Protection data reveals that in the current fiscal year, there have been hundreds of known or suspected terrorists apprehended at the northern and southern borders. The number of known or suspected terrorists apprehended at the borders has seen a 30 percent increase in one month, with a total of 464 individuals apprehended, raising concerns about border security and national security threats. Read More |  | Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover? | If you see an article on violent extremism in the U.S. or hostile foreign influence that is reliable, timely, and fits into one of the six categories that we cover in this newsletter, please send us a note, either by replying directly to this email or by submitting a contact form under the appropriate "news tip" category. | | | | | QUOTABLE “Give all the power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all the power to the few, they will oppress the many”
- Alexander Hamilton
| | | NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked. | | | | |
